Reward Offered for Help in Nabbing Those Responsible for Cougar’s Death

PETA Aims to Help State Officials Find Out Who Declawed a Cougar—and Why the Animal Was Found Dead on the Roadside

For Immediate Release:
November 20, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

On November 7, a cougar was reportedly found dead on the side of Highway 12 in DeQuincy. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) reports that all four of the animal’s paws were declawed—in other words, each of the toes was amputated at the last joint—indicating that the cougar may have been kept in someone’s private home. No one in DeQuincy has a permit to own a cougar legally, and the LDWF has reportedly not yet made any arrests in connection with this incident. That’s why PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—is offering up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this cougar’s death and mutilation.

Would you please consider sharing this information with your audience? It might be the only way to apprehend those responsible for this animal’s suffering.

“PETA is urging anyone with information to come forward now so that the person or persons responsible for endangering the community and causing this animal so much suffering can be found,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders.

Declawing cats of all sizes can leave them with permanent pain, lameness, arthritis, and other long-term complications, and the American Veterinary Medical Association condemns this harmful procedure on wild and exotic cats. On average, one person is killed in the United States by a big cat every year, with many more injured by the dangerous animals. And once the novelty of having a “pet” cougar or tiger wears off—or the danger becomes apparent—these animals often end up relegated to a tiny cage, are sent to a shoddy roadside zoo, or are abandoned outdoors and left for dead.

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the LDWF at 337-491-2580.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.